Nathan Longhurst

NZ’S 100 Great Peaks climb-and-fly challenge

US pilot and endurance athlete Nathan Longhurst set out on 17 November 2024 to link every summit on The New Zealand Alpine Club’s 100 Great Peaks list in a solo climb-and-fly adventure

20 January, 2025, by Jack Sheard

US pilot and endurance athlete Nathan Longhurst set out on 17 November last year to link every summit on The New Zealand Alpine Club’s 100 Great Peaks list in a solo climb-and-fly adventure. Nathan, 24, who works as a seasonal trail running guide in the US, hopes to complete the list in March 2025 before the weather closes in.

“It’s hard,” he said. “So far, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in the mountains.”

He started hiking an hour after landing in Queenstown, New Zealand. “I basically went straight from the airport to Double Cone (2,340m) right above Queenstown.”  

Nathan first came to New Zealand in March 2024 and “fell in...

Join us and enjoy the full article

Subscribe to Cross Country for €4.50 – Get instant online access to this article and hundreds more plus Masterclasses. Cancel anytime.

Subscribe Already a Subscriber? Sign in here.


You may also like


Premium Articles